Under the current electricity capacity constraints, only 2% of households or 40,000 customers (mostly in or near Freetown) have access to electricity. The majority of the interior does not have access to electricity, and the country's four major cities consume 90% of the available electricity. The transmission and distribution network in the country is primarily consisted of the Freetown system and its surroundings, with the only other major provincial grid servicing Bo-Kenema.

Renewable energy potential

Solar energyThe country experiences sunshine for majority of the year. A recent study estimated the average daily solar radiation at 4.1-5.2 kWh/m2, which indicates significant potential for solar power. This data is in need of revision, as calculations were made from eight sites in 1996. The economic feasibility of photovoltaic (PV) electricity needs to be further explored.The current installed capacity of solar PV is about 25 kW, with 60–80 % being installed by the RCD Solar Company. It provides 120 W/4 kW solar systems for hospitals, schools, domestic and commercial use. Significant work has also been done by the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA).Wind energyData on wind speeds across the country is rare. The existing data indicates a countrywide average speed of 3–5 m/s. However, wind speeds of up to 12 m/s seem to be possible in some areas so wind power may offer very promising opportunities for Sierra Leone. The Ministry of Energy and Power (MEP) is encouraging studies of sites that may hold potential. With wind turbines capable of operating with low wind speeds now on the market, there is a strong potential for these systems in rural areas, especially in the north. There is currently no wind energy system in Sierra Leone.Biomass energyBiomass potential is high, from forest resources, and 656,400 tons of crop waste annually, amounting to a total generation potential of 2,706 GWh. Potential feedstocks include rice husks and straw. However, at the current deforestation rate, and with 65 % of the population living in rural areas, the harvesting of traditional fuels can lead to environmental, health and social impacts. In terms of biofuels, a recent initiative led by Addax Bioenergy, a Swiss group, with financing from a number of different international development organisations, is to construct a biomass-fueled power plant and sugarcane ethanol refinery in the country, at a total cost of €258 million. The refinery is expected to produce up to 90 million litres of ethanol annually, and will be powered entirely through the conjoined biomass station, which will also feed renewable power into the national grid system.Geothermal energyNo study has yet been conducted into the geothermal potential of Sierra Leone, and there are no current uses of the technology in the country.HydropowerThe estimated hydroelectric potential is 1,513 MW from roughly 27 different sites. Nearly all however, suffer from enormous flow variation between the wet and dry seasons. According to the Lahmeyer International report (1996), only two of the 27 sites studied in the Master Plan are deemed to provide hydropower at attractive costs and with annual flow regulation. Yiben II, Bekongor III, Kambatibo, Betmai III, and Yiben I are the most promising plants in terms of generation cost. Presently, Sierra Leone has two hydroelectric plants. These are the 2.4 MW Guma plant, installed in 1967 in the Western Area, which has been out of service since 1982 and the only operational 6 MW run-of-the-river type located in the Eastern Province. This plant is operated by the BKPS consortium, and is connected to a regional grid linking thermal power plants in Bo and Kenema. The Bumbuna Falls plant, after nearly two decades of successive governmental promises, was finally commissioned in 2009, and currently provides approximately 50 MW in the wet season, and 18 MW in the dry. The plant is linked to the Freetown electricity grid through a 161 kV connecting line.Many of the rivers investigated suffice for only small to medium hydro systems (i.e. 1–100 MW), but there is also a potential for pico to mini hydro systems (5 kW to 1 MW). Resources under 2 MW are expected to be an area of potential for Public Private Partnerships (PPP). Long-term plans in the hydropower sector include the further expansion of the Bumbuna facility by 275 MW, and further expansion of the Bekongor facility to 200 MW of total capacity.

Energy framework

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) provided funding to the government in 2004 for a study leading to the formulation of a national energy policy for the country.Based on an assessment of the existing institutional framework as well as energy demand and supply patterns, a document draft entitled “The Energy Policy for Sierra Leone” was produced..As defined in the energy policy draft document, the main policy target for electricity is to provide access for 35 % of the population by 2015.No proposed contribution of renewable energy to the electricity generation mix was mentioned. The following policy statements, however, relate to the promotion of RE:formation of financial and administrative institutions to manage RE,consideration of tax reductions and incentives for RE equipment,manufacturing RE equipment to encourage investments,establishing sustainable financing mechanisms to make RE more accessible,ensuring that RE producers and importers meet certified performance and technical standards,encouragement of solar water heating in hospitals, clinics, boarding homes.measures to allay the fear of using solar cookers in rural areas,encouragement of co-operatives and energy service companies to facilitate the financing mechanism for sustainable RETs,encouragement of local manufacturing of RE generator systems,establishment of codes of practice, guidelines and standards for RE.In April 2010, the Government announced the launch of the National Energy Policy Implementation Strategy, launched at the start of Sierra Leone’s first Renewable Energy Week, and sets out plans for achieving the goals established in the National Energy Policy.According to the country’s second-generation Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for 2009-2011, a key government objective is the provision of a reliable power supply in the country; moving toward a low carbon energy economy through use of the country’s significant hydropower potential.

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